There is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,452, issued Oct. 7, 1975 to one of the present applicants, a floating deck which is adapted to be supported upon the surface of volatile hydrocarbon liquids and which serves to prevent loss of liquids to the atmosphere as a result of surface evaporation due to differential vapor pressures and solar heat. Such floating deck consists of a plurality of concentric groups of interconnected panels wherein each panel is shaped in the form of an isosceles triangle.
It has been found that the apex portion of these triangles, which are made of cellular foam plastics, lacks in rigidity and frequently breaks during assembly or even in storage.
Another problem associated with the floating deck of the type described in the above mentioned U.S. patent is the great number of individual units which are required when decks of large diameter are required.